MLS Only Subscriptions

Get Access to Chicago’s MLS, Powered by MRED

Whether you’re entering listings into a private network or syndicating active inventory to the market, you need an MLS that gives you control. Chicago’s MLS, powered by MRED, does exactly that, and the Chicago Association of REALTORS® is your access point.

This page is for licensed real estate professionals who are looking to establish or join an MLS office through the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. This MLS Only Subscription does NOT include REALTOR® membership.

Three questions to verify before subscribing:

  1. Does your business need REALTOR® membership benefits? See what’s included in the table below.
  2. Do you need full MRED access or simply access to the Private Listing Network (PLN)? Here’s the difference between the two.
  3. Are you opening an office or joining an office? Complete the right application.

Quick Links

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REALTOR® Benefits vs. MLS Only

Begin An Application

Compare Your Options (Full/PLN Only)

Why Get Full Access

Why PLN Only

Why Use Chicago

Pricing

Related Pages

Chicago’s MLS Policy

MLS Subscription FAQs

Open an MLS Only Office (No REALTOR® Membership)

Join an Existing MLS Only Office (No REALTOR® Membership)

Join as a REALTOR® Member

MRED Resources

MRED Rules, Regulations & Policies

MLS System Training

Sample Applications

Reference MLS Participant Application

Reference MLS Subscriber Application

I’m Looking For REALTOR® Membership Instead

Is This Right For You?

MLS Only is a subscription product and does NOT include REALTOR® membership, authorized use of Chicago REALTORS® forms and contracts, use of the REALTOR® brand or other REALTOR® member benefits.

Please carefully review the benefits comparison below before completing an application.

Category

Benefit / Resource

REALTOR® Member

MLS Only Subscriber

MLS Access

MRED connectMLS Access

✓ Yes

✓ Yes

Listing Management & Transaction Tools

✓ Yes

✓ Yes

ShowingTime Integration

✓ Yes

✓ Yes

Rental Beast Integration

✓ Yes

✓ Yes

Free MLS Training (Live & On Demand)

✓ Yes

✓ Yes

InfoSparks (Market Activity Data Tool)

✓ Yes

✓ Yes

Remine (Public Records & Predictive Analytics)

✓ Yes

✓ Yes

REALTORS® Property Resource (RPR)

✓ Yes

✗ No

Market Data

FastStats (Weekly & Monthly Reports)

✓ Yes

✗ No

Historical MLS Spreadsheets (30+ Years)

✓ Yes

✗ No

Neighborhood-Specific Market Data

✓ Yes

✗ No

Business Tools

80+ Chicago-Centric Forms & Contracts Library

✓ Yes

✗ No

SentriLock Lockbox Access & SentriKey App

✓ Yes

✗ No

FOREWARN (Prospect Safety & Identity Verification)

✓ Yes

✗ No

Business Perks & Member Discounts (CAR-Selected)

✓ Yes

✗ No

Illinois REALTORS® Member Discounts

✓ Yes

✗ No

NAR Member Discounts & Perks

✓ Yes

✗ No

Shareable Resources

BuySellOwnChicago.com Client-Facing Content

✓ Yes

✗ No

Photofy Co-Branding Tool (NAR Benefit)

✓ Yes

✗ No

Chicago REALTOR® Magazine

✓ Yes

✗ No

REALTOR® Connection Weekly Newsletter

✓ Yes

✗ No

Professional Standards & Ethics

NAR Code of Ethics Membership & Obligations

✓ Yes

✗ No

Ombudsman Program (Informal Dispute Resolution)

✓ Yes

◑ Limited

Ethics Complaint Filing & Hearing Process

✓ Yes

◑ Limited

Mediation (Complimentary Member Benefit)

✓ Yes

◑ Limited

Arbitration for Commission Disputes

✓ Yes

◑ Limited

MRED Code of Conduct Obligations

N/A

✓ Yes

Education & Training

Continuing Education (CE) Courses & Bundle Discounts

✓ Yes

✗ No

Designations & Certifications

✓ Yes

✗ No

Real Estate Business Skill-Builder Courses

✓ Yes

✗ No

New Career & Licensing Support

✓ Yes

✗ No

Scholarships

Pre-Licensing Scholarships

✓ Yes

N/A

Higher Education Scholarships

✓ Yes

✗ No

Career Advancement Conference Scholarships

✓ Yes

✗ No

Advocacy

Local Legislative Representation (Chicago)

✓ Yes

✗ No

State Legislative Representation (Illinois REALTORS®)

✓ Yes

✗ No

National Legislative Representation (NAR)

✓ Yes

✗ No

RPAC Investment Access

✓ Yes

✗ No

REALTOR® Party Mobile Alerts

✓ Yes

✗ No

Calls to Action & Advocacy Briefings

✓ Yes

✗ No

Community & Networks

CommercialForum Access

✓ Yes

◑ Limited

D77 Committee

✓ Yes

✗ No

Global Real Estate Council

✓ Yes

✗ No

Sustainability Ambassadors

✓ Yes

✗ No

Young Professionals Network (YPN)

✓ Yes

✗ No

Industry Partner Organizations

✓ Yes

✗ No

Leadership & Governance

Local Committee Participation

✓ Yes

✗ No

Illinois REALTORS® Committee Representation

✓ Yes

✗ No

NAR Committee Representation

✓ Yes

✗ No

Board of Directors Eligibility

✓ Yes

✗ No

Events & Recognition

Member Pricing on All CAR Events

✓ Yes

✗ No

Complimentary Registration: Market Outlook & Summer Soiree

✓ Yes

✗ No

Sales Awards Recognition

✓ Yes

✗ No

Member Recognition Programs (Top Producer Eligibility & REALTOR® Awards)

✓ Yes

✗ No

Membership Structure

Three-Tier Membership (CAR + Illinois REALTORS® + NAR)

✓ Yes

✗ No

Use of REALTOR® Trademark & Designation

✓ Yes

✗ No

Sponsoring Broker Relationship

✓ Yes

✗ No

Pathway to Upgrade to REALTOR® Membership

N/A

✓ Yes

Join As A REALTOR®

Subscribe As MLS Only

Get Started

Open an MLS Office

For the principal broker or broker of record establishing a new office with the Chicago Association of REALTORS®.

Who this is for: The licensed broker who holds principal broker status for your firm and will serve as the MLS participant of record.

Eligibility: You must hold an active managing broker’s license or appraiser’s license with IDFPR or your state’s licensing body and you must also be the principal, partner, officer or managing broker of your firm.

Open an MLS Office

Join an Existing MLS Office

For individual agents whose firm already has an established MLS office with us.

Who this is for: Licensed agents who are affiliated with a firm that has an established MLS participant account with the Chicago Association of REALTORS®.

Eligibility: You must hold an active real estate broker’s license, managing broker’s license or appraiser’s license with IDFPR or your state’s licensing body, and your affiliated office must already be established as an MLS participant with the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. 

Join an Existing MLS Office

Why Get MRED Access Through the Chicago Association of REALTORS®?

Not all paths to MRED are the same. Here’s what sets ours apart. 

Easy and Customizable Onboarding

We work with offices of every size and structure. Whether your brokerage wants to establish its full agent roster at once or add agents one at a time as they join, we accommodate both.

Flexible Billing Options

If your firm covers MLS costs for your agents centrally, we can handle bulk office billing. If each agent pays individually, we support that too. You tell us how your office works, and we’ll match it.

Experienced, Supportive Staff

Our staff onboards brokerages and agents on a regular, high-volume basis. When you have a question about your MLS subscription (setting up your office, managing your roster, handling billing, navigating complex firm structures), our knowledgeable team is here to help.

For platform support, tools and how-to guidance, MRED’s dedicated help desk is there alongside you. Between the two, you’re covered.

Support for Your Whole Office

Setting up MLS access isn’t just about getting your agents into the system. It’s about making sure the right people have the right level of access to support your office from day one. We’re set up to support you, however your brokerage operates.

For offices that need administrative staff to manage MLS functions at the office level, we offer an Office Secretary user type — a free account that gives designated staff members the ability to perform administrative functions on behalf of the office, with permissions similar to those of the participant. No additional cost, no separate subscription.

For agents who rely on personal assistants to manage searches, transactions and client communications, we offer a Personal Assistant user type — allowing assistants to perform functions on behalf of one or more individual agents within the office.

Choose Your Level of Access

Chicago’s MLS offers two subscription options.

Features

Full MLS Access

PLN Only Access

What it is

Complete access to Chicago’s MLS, powered by MRED, including active and private listing search, listing entry into both the Standard Listing Network and PLN, and all platform tools.

Access to MRED’s Private Listing Network — a secure, broker-to-broker database within connectMLS.

Who it’s for

Brokerages and agents who want to list, search and syndicate through one of the most advanced MLS platforms in the country.

Brokerages whose primary need is a governed, MLS-compliant network for private and coming soon listings.

Listing entry

Full Standard Listing Network (SLN) and PLN

PLN only

Search and viewing

Full MLS database: all active listings across all property types, plus full access to search and view PLN listings

PLN listings only

Syndication

Advanced controls over where and how active listings are distributed, including price history, days on market and AVM management.

Listings remain within the MLS broker network by default; seller-level controls available for VOW distribution, including advanced display options for address, remarks, comments and AVM.

Pricing

Paid service — per user fees apply. See pricing below.

No per user fee. See pricing below for office fees.

Why Choose Full Access?

Full MLS Access includes everything in PLN-Only access, plus the complete connectMLS platform. If your brokerage wants active listing search, public syndication controls and the full power of Chicago’s MLS alongside your PLN access, Full Access gives you all of it.

Advanced listing display controls.

Decide how your active listings appear across third-party platforms. Manage price history visibility, days on market display and automated valuation model (AVM) data — giving your sellers control over their negotiating position from the moment a listing goes live. 

Syndication and Data Delivery. 

Use Chicago’s MLS as your primary syndication platform. Rather than managing listing distribution across multiple local MLS relationships, enter once and control where your listings go from a single, advanced platform. 

Beyond IDX and VOW, MRED’s data delivery includes Broker Back Office feeds for behind-the-scenes tools like accounting software and agent production reporting, and Broker Only feeds that give your firm complete control over your own listing data. You decide what goes where.

Seller choice, fully supported. 

Whether a seller wants maximum market exposure or prefers to start in a private network before going public, Full Access gives your agents the tools to honor that preference at every stage. 

Why the Private Listing Network?

MRED’s Private Listing Network has operated since 2016 as a broker-to-broker database, structured, governed and entirely separate from public-facing platforms.

What the PLN is:

Pricing

All pricing reflects current rates for service from the current month through September 30, 2027. All fees are reviewed annually by the Chicago Board of Directors and are subject to change.

Full MLS Access

NOTE: if the Participant chooses Full MLS Access when starting an office, any agent who joins the MLS-Only Office may then choose between Full MLS and PLN-Only Access.

Type of Fee

Who Pays

Amount

Office Setup Fee

Participant (One Time)

$400

Annual Office Fee

Participant

$200*

Per User Annual Fee

Participant + all subscribers

$800*

*Prorated for service the current month through September 30, 2027. The MLS renewal period is October 1 – September 30 each year.

PLN-Only Access

NOTE: if the Participant chooses PLN-Only when starting an office, any agent who joins the MLS-Only Office must also choose PLN-Only.

Type of Fee

Who Pays

Amount

Office Setup Fee

Participant (One Time)

$400

Annual Office Fee

Participant

$200*

Per User Annual Fee

–

$0

*Prorated for service the current month through September 30, 2027. The MLS renewal period is October 1 – September 30 each year.

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